Behrami was born to Albanian parents in Titova Mitrovica, SFR Yugoslavia. When he was five, his parents both lost their jobs; his mother Halime as a secretary and his father Ragip as a manager of a plastics company.[4] As a result, Behrami along with his parents and older sister Valentina moved to Stabio, a village in Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland.[5] Behrami's mother described him as energetic: "As a child, running was Valon's favourite pastime – he just never got tired. Even now, he can hardly sit still for a second. He always needs a ball at his feet."[4]

After an impressive season with Verona, Lazio signed him on 25 July 2005, as first a co-ownership deal for €2.7 million.[7] and Lazio bought him outright in January 2006, for the same price.[8]

Despite his clearance hitting Rodrigo Taddei's head and ricocheting into Lazio's goal to concede their first goal of the match, his 92nd minute winning goal etched Behrami's name into Lazio's history books as they won the Derby della Capitale on 19 March 2008 and virtually finished the Scudetto hopes for rivals Roma.[9]

Behrami pictured at Upton Park, West Ham United's ground, on 11 September 2010

On 23 July 2008, West Ham United signed Behrami from Lazio, with the player signing a five-year contract for a fee of £5 million.[10] Behrami made his debut for West Ham in the 2–1 home win over Wigan Athletic on 16 August 2008.[11] His versatility would see him become a vital part of West Ham's midfield, having begun the season as a stand in for captain Lucas Neill at right back. He scored his first goal for West Ham in the 1–0 away win against Sunderland on 23 November 2008.[12] During the home win over Manchester City on 1 March 2009,[13] he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee[14] that required oxygen to be administered on the field during a six-minute break in play. His knee and ankle twisted badly when his studs caught in the turf resulting in a premature end to his 2008–09 season.

Behrami made his comeback as a substitute on 12 September 2009 against Wigan Athletic.[15] His return was interrupted by injury again for a month from November. He scored his first and only goal of the 2009–10 league campaign with the opener in a 3–0 home win over relegation rivals Hull City on 20 February 2010.[16]

On 26 January 2011, Behrami moved to Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.[17][18] He made his debut with Fiorentina on 29 January 2011, in a Serie A fixture against his former team Lazio.

On 31 July 2014, Behrami flew into Germany to complete a medical ahead of his €4.5 million move to Hamburg. The subsequent bonuses could raise the fee to €6.5 million based on 20 appearances in his first season. He committed to a three-year contract with an option for a fourth.[20]

On 21 June, in the 2010 World Cup, after appearing to elbow Chilean player Arturo Vidal, Behrami was sent off with a red card in the second Group H match against Chile and became the first Swiss player to be sent off in a World Cup match.[23][24]